ENPHASE ENERGY AND CALIFORNIA HOME BUILDERS BRING SOLAR AS A STANDARD FEATURE TO CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY

Enphase Energy and California Home Builders announce that along with Leonard Roofing, they are providing solar power for 18 single-family homes in a new California residential community. The development features 64.8 kW of solar installations, with individual 3.6 kW arrays all using the Enphase System.

President Obama’s new commitments to solar deployment are wide-reaching, including a range of businesses and organizations.

Homebuilders are an important part of this. The White House Fact Sheet outlining the commitments notes that homebuilders are critical for “tapping the full potential of solar” in the U.S. The fact sheet goes on to say that 22 new homebuilders have made commitments to construct nearly 10,000 Zero Energy Ready Homes, outfitted for solar, by 2020.

Some solar companies and homebuilders are going beyond this to provide solar as a standard feature on new homes.

Today, solar microinverter provider Enphase Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENPH) announced that Leonard Roofing, a regional roofing, sheet metal, and PV solar contractor, has installed the Enphase® System on 18 single-family homes at California Home Builders’ newest residential community in San Fernando Valley, California.

California Home Builders has been a pioneer in the trend we’ve been seeing of solar as not only an option but even a standard feature on new homes. In 2012, the company developed the first new home community in the city of Los Angeles that included a solar electric generating system as a standard feature on each home. Their latest development in the San Fernando Valley will feature a total of 64.8 kW of solar installations distributed across 18 rooftops, with individual 3.6 kW arrays all using the Enphase System.

The new development also highlights a trend of making solar accessible to more homeowners.

“This project counters solar’s reputation as a luxury amenity and instead incorporates PV as a standard home feature alongside LED lighting fixtures and energy-efficient appliances,” said Kathryn Rudnick, COO of California Home Builders. “We believe people buy homes for a combination of reasons, and intelligent solar power from Enphase gives us a competitive edge in our market that adds more value to our customers’ homes.”

With the Enphase System, each homeowner has access to their personal Enphase MyEnlighten account that displays system production and environmental impact information. California Home Builders can use Enlighten Manager to track and monitor all of their Enphase systems together — which Rudnick says is a valuable showcasing tool for potential buyers.

“We are proud to provide California Home Builders advanced solar technology that generates financial and environmental benefits for homeowners included with the purchase of their home,” said Jeff Loebbaka, SVP of global sales, marketing and support for Enphase Energy. “With the Enphase System, California Home Builders can track and showcase their solar homes online, and Leonard Roofing can confidently install a flexible and reliable solar array.”

The Enphase system also makes installation easier and quicker. With installation labor costs being one of the soft costs the industry is working on lowering, this is a significant benefit.

“Enphase technology allowed us to design smart solar systems that California Home Builders can easily integrate into original home designs,” said Marshall Howen, major accounts manager for Leonard Roofing. “The simple plug-and-play design of Enphase microinverters made our job easier, safer and faster than ever before.”